So Day 2....everyone has been anticipating this it seems. Yes, as predicted it was better than Day 1. There is still a lot of work to be done on my part, but today was much better than yesterday.
My main problem is that really for the first time the language barrier is a huuuuge problem. The students are able to hide behind it, and I am also clueless. They are free to say what they want, or ignore me, and it's okay (at least to them). So it's just frustrating. But we're working on it. It isn't just with the students, though. The dreaded language barrier also exists with the teachers. I long to have community with them, but mostly it can't exist because of, you guessed it, the language barrier. Friendships are slowly forming, but it's difficult and will be slow-going.
Always my wish has been to be able to speak every language. Always. When people play those silly "getting to know you" games asking you, "If you could have one wish, what would it be?" I say without a doubt I would want to be able to speak and understand all languages. That wish would really come in handy right now. Instead, I'll just have to work on learning the language (sllooooowww going).
In other happenings...Chaz and I went out to a movie with a big group of people from Canada and the US. Apparently, these people all met and every Thursday they go to a movie. Ellen, this great girl who lives down the hall from us, knocked on our door yesterday and said hello, helped us with some problems, and then invited us to movie night. She's also going to take us walking around our area and show us the places to go and things to do in our neighborhood. Sweet!
So tonight was great to get together with people we could talk to about our jobs, etc, and then just unwind to a movie. We saw 9, the new film produced by Tim Burton, and it was pretty good. Mostly, I was just entertained and happy to be there. I'm looking forward to more good times with those people...it's nice to be a little less lonely here.
(this post seems "bleh." mostly, i am exhausted and have no brain capacity for emphatic writing right now. sorry it's not more interesting! i'm really okay, i promise.)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The Day One Teaching Saga
I really didn't want to write this blog, but I know I should so I can look back on it and laugh (hopefully). Plus, my mom insisted I document my beginnings.
Today was my first day teaching in the Korean schools. Well, I guess it was also my first day teaching as an actual teacher as well. I was pretty nervous, but mostly excited to get to the middle school. I had been assured I just needed to introduce myself and that I didn't need to bring anything or plan for anything else. So I hiked the 20 minutes from our apartment to the girls' middle school where I was to teach. And everything is good, right?
Wrong.
I was at the wrong school. Um, excuse me? Apparently, I needed to be next door.
At the boys' middle school.
Um, excuse me?
Me?
Boys' Middle School?
Teaching God knows how many MIDDLE SCHOOL, ADOLESCENT BOYS?
And ONLY boys?
Yes. That's exactly the case. So I march over to the BOYS' middle school to much staring and talking and, "Hello!" from said adolescent boys. As I'm going upstairs to the teachers' offices, a boy stops me and says, "Hello, teacher! Oooohhhhh!!! You beautiful! You beautiful!" I say, "I am married. I have husband. I am wi-fuh." He responds, "I love you!"
Great.
So I get to the teachers' offices, and what do I find out? I was supposed to bring slippers to wear while in the school. Whoops! So I get handed the frumpy, flowery, six sizes too big for me, grandma slippers (how big do they think my feet are?). Goodbye being stylish on the first day. There, I see the teacher I have been in contact with who picked us up from the airport. *relief* Someone who is familiar. I meet the principal and the vice-principal, get introduced to the other teachers, and then get taken upstairs to my office.
Wait, so all the other teachers are on the second floor, but I am ostracized on the fifth? Yes, lonely me, in my lonely English classroom on the lonely fifth floor. *sigh* okay. First period is free, that's a relief. Then second period comes. Apparently, I am in charge of the entire class period. Another thing that would have been helpful to know. So I introduce myself as long as I can, ask students questions about themselves, what they want to do in class, etc., and then they have free time. While talking, I get a paper wad thrown at me.
My first class period of my first day.
"This is my first day, and already you do this? I am very disappointed!"
After class, the student who had thrown the paper and another student who saw and felt bad came up and apologized telling me it was an accident that it had hit me. Ah, well, all is forgiven.
It's at this point I realize that I have different levels of students. Today was all Level 2 learners (meaning their English is so-so), but I did have one Level 1 class.
Ah, blessed, holy Level 1 learners come down from the heavens to bless my day with an angelic kiss! (You have no idea how excited I was to have these students). They sat down. They were quiet. They were respectful. They asked questions. All things I lacked (heavily) the rest of the day. Also, the co-teacher for that class told me it was a wonderful class and I was, "born to teach there." One bright, shining spot...
The period before lunch was much like the first. Now, you must be thinking, "This doesn't sound all that bad. Why were the Level 1's so different?"
Oh, ho, my friends. I have completely left out the facts that in BOTH Level 2 classes I have had thus far in the day I have had incessant talking, no listening, and the students touch each other, Lord, how they touch each other! Give them some time to stand up, and they're putting each other in headlocks, or slapping each other, or kicking each other. Enough to make me want to scream, "NO TOUCHING!" (I hope some of you get that reference...) Anyway, so I realize that this is going to be challenging.
Lunch was excellent (way better than school food in the US), and it was good to talk to the other teachers. I even met one teacher who had been to Iowa. So crazy! As I'm back in my classroom after lunch, I see boys' heads peeking through the windows and staring through the doors. Hmm....great. Also, a boy keeps coming in and saying, "Hello, teacher!" Yes, it's my friend who professed his love for me at the beginning of the day. Wonderful.
Then came the black hole of my day. The period which sucked all life and love and happiness and pretty things from me. After lunch, the students come in all hyped up because they've been running around and playing soccer. Good sign. These students did not stop talking. You think I exaggerate, but I don't. I yelled into a microphone SEVEN TIMES to get their attention. I repeated my number one rule (no talking when I'm talking) SEVEN TIMES. No-thing-sank-in. Finally, exacerbated, I let them read and chat amongst themselves (not like I had anything planned anyway). A group of students decided to mock me in the corner. One in the group came up behind me and gestured something (most likely crude). It's at this point I wrote in my journal, "WHY, GOD, WHY?"
After that horrendous class, my co-teacher told me that class is always like that. Um, no, we're going to do something about that. So I was done teaching class periods for the day, but then it turns out that I also teach an after school English Conversation program. Once again, I was told I was supposed to come up with something for it (20 minutes before it started). Hmm....right. Fortunately, my friend teacher came up with something and helped me implement it. Who should happen to be in my after school program? You guessed it. My obsessed friend. Every time he came to the front to tell us something in English, he would end with, "You're beautiful!" or "I love you!" Needless to say, way too exhausted, depressed, and dejected, I left as soon as I could to crash at home.
Kel had told me I just needed to say, "Oh, Korea," and roll with the punches. Today, however, I felt much more like saying, "WTF, Korea?"
So that's day one. Yes, it's angsty and angry and all that, but I'm not giving up. Oh, I also left out a lot that makes the day so much worse than it seems (it all adds up, you know). I talked to my mom (the queen of Middle School teaching), and she helped out a lot. I know that I will grow so much from this, and I know things will get so much better. The good/bad news is that I only see the same students once per week (meaning I have a TON of students). I already have some ideas on how I can improve the classroom behavior, and I also have ideas for activities that will hopefully garner their interest. I just needed to record my day, and I hope you got some enjoyment along the way. I'm looking forward to looking back on this and laughing. Someday.
Today was my first day teaching in the Korean schools. Well, I guess it was also my first day teaching as an actual teacher as well. I was pretty nervous, but mostly excited to get to the middle school. I had been assured I just needed to introduce myself and that I didn't need to bring anything or plan for anything else. So I hiked the 20 minutes from our apartment to the girls' middle school where I was to teach. And everything is good, right?
Wrong.
I was at the wrong school. Um, excuse me? Apparently, I needed to be next door.
At the boys' middle school.
Um, excuse me?
Me?
Boys' Middle School?
Teaching God knows how many MIDDLE SCHOOL, ADOLESCENT BOYS?
And ONLY boys?
Yes. That's exactly the case. So I march over to the BOYS' middle school to much staring and talking and, "Hello!" from said adolescent boys. As I'm going upstairs to the teachers' offices, a boy stops me and says, "Hello, teacher! Oooohhhhh!!! You beautiful! You beautiful!" I say, "I am married. I have husband. I am wi-fuh." He responds, "I love you!"
Great.
So I get to the teachers' offices, and what do I find out? I was supposed to bring slippers to wear while in the school. Whoops! So I get handed the frumpy, flowery, six sizes too big for me, grandma slippers (how big do they think my feet are?). Goodbye being stylish on the first day. There, I see the teacher I have been in contact with who picked us up from the airport. *relief* Someone who is familiar. I meet the principal and the vice-principal, get introduced to the other teachers, and then get taken upstairs to my office.
Wait, so all the other teachers are on the second floor, but I am ostracized on the fifth? Yes, lonely me, in my lonely English classroom on the lonely fifth floor. *sigh* okay. First period is free, that's a relief. Then second period comes. Apparently, I am in charge of the entire class period. Another thing that would have been helpful to know. So I introduce myself as long as I can, ask students questions about themselves, what they want to do in class, etc., and then they have free time. While talking, I get a paper wad thrown at me.
My first class period of my first day.
"This is my first day, and already you do this? I am very disappointed!"
After class, the student who had thrown the paper and another student who saw and felt bad came up and apologized telling me it was an accident that it had hit me. Ah, well, all is forgiven.
It's at this point I realize that I have different levels of students. Today was all Level 2 learners (meaning their English is so-so), but I did have one Level 1 class.
Ah, blessed, holy Level 1 learners come down from the heavens to bless my day with an angelic kiss! (You have no idea how excited I was to have these students). They sat down. They were quiet. They were respectful. They asked questions. All things I lacked (heavily) the rest of the day. Also, the co-teacher for that class told me it was a wonderful class and I was, "born to teach there." One bright, shining spot...
The period before lunch was much like the first. Now, you must be thinking, "This doesn't sound all that bad. Why were the Level 1's so different?"
Oh, ho, my friends. I have completely left out the facts that in BOTH Level 2 classes I have had thus far in the day I have had incessant talking, no listening, and the students touch each other, Lord, how they touch each other! Give them some time to stand up, and they're putting each other in headlocks, or slapping each other, or kicking each other. Enough to make me want to scream, "NO TOUCHING!" (I hope some of you get that reference...) Anyway, so I realize that this is going to be challenging.
Lunch was excellent (way better than school food in the US), and it was good to talk to the other teachers. I even met one teacher who had been to Iowa. So crazy! As I'm back in my classroom after lunch, I see boys' heads peeking through the windows and staring through the doors. Hmm....great. Also, a boy keeps coming in and saying, "Hello, teacher!" Yes, it's my friend who professed his love for me at the beginning of the day. Wonderful.
Then came the black hole of my day. The period which sucked all life and love and happiness and pretty things from me. After lunch, the students come in all hyped up because they've been running around and playing soccer. Good sign. These students did not stop talking. You think I exaggerate, but I don't. I yelled into a microphone SEVEN TIMES to get their attention. I repeated my number one rule (no talking when I'm talking) SEVEN TIMES. No-thing-sank-in. Finally, exacerbated, I let them read and chat amongst themselves (not like I had anything planned anyway). A group of students decided to mock me in the corner. One in the group came up behind me and gestured something (most likely crude). It's at this point I wrote in my journal, "WHY, GOD, WHY?"
After that horrendous class, my co-teacher told me that class is always like that. Um, no, we're going to do something about that. So I was done teaching class periods for the day, but then it turns out that I also teach an after school English Conversation program. Once again, I was told I was supposed to come up with something for it (20 minutes before it started). Hmm....right. Fortunately, my friend teacher came up with something and helped me implement it. Who should happen to be in my after school program? You guessed it. My obsessed friend. Every time he came to the front to tell us something in English, he would end with, "You're beautiful!" or "I love you!" Needless to say, way too exhausted, depressed, and dejected, I left as soon as I could to crash at home.
Kel had told me I just needed to say, "Oh, Korea," and roll with the punches. Today, however, I felt much more like saying, "WTF, Korea?"
So that's day one. Yes, it's angsty and angry and all that, but I'm not giving up. Oh, I also left out a lot that makes the day so much worse than it seems (it all adds up, you know). I talked to my mom (the queen of Middle School teaching), and she helped out a lot. I know that I will grow so much from this, and I know things will get so much better. The good/bad news is that I only see the same students once per week (meaning I have a TON of students). I already have some ideas on how I can improve the classroom behavior, and I also have ideas for activities that will hopefully garner their interest. I just needed to record my day, and I hope you got some enjoyment along the way. I'm looking forward to looking back on this and laughing. Someday.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Communication Desires
Well, the past couple of days Chaz and I have decided to take it easy. We've wanted to relax and enjoy the last moments before going back to work, so mostly we've read and watched LOST Season 5 on the internet. Enjoyable? Yes. I've also dealt with a small bout of homesickness, so I think that was one of the reasons for staying in as well. Regardless, we're very ready to start school tomorrow. We can't help but feeling it will be somewhat of a solution to some of our problems. The issues of not fitting in and feeling completely out of place. If we can make friends and find someone to help us out, our feelings of loneliness and lost-ness will somewhat dissolve.
Anyway...we did manage to find our schools, so we know where we're going tomorrow. Mine is not a bad 20 minute walk from our apartment. The awful part will be, yup you guessed it, coming home. As I said before, we live halfway up a mountain. The only place to go from here is down (and back up to come home). You know my rant about our mountain (which I'm sure won't be the last)? Well, I want to show you exactly HOW FAR we must walk up this cursed monstrosity to get home from the subway.
See those teeeeny tiny buildings in the background? Yes, the ones in the red circle? We live in one of those. Chaz is standing just a little ways away from the subway station. Ugh.
Today, after hours of LOST, we finally decided to emerge from our abode to get something to eat. It took us forever to find a restaurant that didn't seem too intimidating to order from (and it had pictures at which to point), so we went in. What did we end up eating? Fried chicken. Yes, fried chicken. It was Korean-style, so it included a side of chili sauce, but it was fried chicken nonetheless. Not very adventurous, but delicious nonetheless.
So, on a completely unrelated note, here's one thing I find frustrating about Korea, and one reason I'm desperate to learn the language and fit in as soon as possible. Today, we had a ring at our doorbell. Now, this freaks me out because we have yet to meet someone who knows where we live (besides Kat, but she's not in Busan). So we open the door to find these cute Korean women. They start talking to us, and I'm like, "Uhh....English?" Do they try to gesture what they want? No. They start talking more in Korean. Finally I established they were sent from my school to clean our apartment. So they come in, and one woman hands us a can of roach killer. "No, no," I say and motion that we don't have roaches. I had called my school to tell them about our mold, but apparently they didn't understand. So then I show the woman the mold. "Oh," she says, and then mutters something in Korean. Then, they leave. That's it. No solution to the mold. And we don't see them again. AHHH!! We need some communication!
Anyway...we did manage to find our schools, so we know where we're going tomorrow. Mine is not a bad 20 minute walk from our apartment. The awful part will be, yup you guessed it, coming home. As I said before, we live halfway up a mountain. The only place to go from here is down (and back up to come home). You know my rant about our mountain (which I'm sure won't be the last)? Well, I want to show you exactly HOW FAR we must walk up this cursed monstrosity to get home from the subway.
See those teeeeny tiny buildings in the background? Yes, the ones in the red circle? We live in one of those. Chaz is standing just a little ways away from the subway station. Ugh.
Today, after hours of LOST, we finally decided to emerge from our abode to get something to eat. It took us forever to find a restaurant that didn't seem too intimidating to order from (and it had pictures at which to point), so we went in. What did we end up eating? Fried chicken. Yes, fried chicken. It was Korean-style, so it included a side of chili sauce, but it was fried chicken nonetheless. Not very adventurous, but delicious nonetheless.
So, on a completely unrelated note, here's one thing I find frustrating about Korea, and one reason I'm desperate to learn the language and fit in as soon as possible. Today, we had a ring at our doorbell. Now, this freaks me out because we have yet to meet someone who knows where we live (besides Kat, but she's not in Busan). So we open the door to find these cute Korean women. They start talking to us, and I'm like, "Uhh....English?" Do they try to gesture what they want? No. They start talking more in Korean. Finally I established they were sent from my school to clean our apartment. So they come in, and one woman hands us a can of roach killer. "No, no," I say and motion that we don't have roaches. I had called my school to tell them about our mold, but apparently they didn't understand. So then I show the woman the mold. "Oh," she says, and then mutters something in Korean. Then, they leave. That's it. No solution to the mold. And we don't see them again. AHHH!! We need some communication!
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Just another day at the beach
Today was a pretty chill day in Korea. Chaz and I decided to visit Haeundae again in the afternoon. This time, we brought our swimsuits.
Kat had shown us this great, tiny Mexican restaurant in the area called Taco Señora.
We decided we were in the mood for some burritos, so we checked it out. The place is barely big enough for four people to sit at a counter while this adorable Korean woman makes your burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos in front of you. Apparently her story is that she has a friend from Mexico who taught her about Mexican food, so she opened a restaurant in Busan. People come from all around for her food, and it's surprisingly wonderful. Chaz and I had chicken burritos, and they were incredible! Who knew you could get such good Mexican food in Korea? In the place, we also met Justin, a graduate of Penn State who is also teaching English in Busan. He's been here about eight months, so he was giving us advice on what to eat, where to visit, etc. It was great to meet a guy from the States as most Westerners here are from Canada (Justin said apparently it's a "right of passage" for them to teach in Korea).
After burritos, it was time to hit the beach. It is still so incredible to me that we can just go to the beach whenever we want to (in season, of course). I've never been able to do this in my life, being from Iowa, and I'm excited that I now have this opportunity. It was great to just soak in the sun and the sand and take a dip in the sea (also, I've never been in salt water before....crazy, I know).
Busan just keeps getting more and more wonderful, and I know we have so much more to see in the city. We've had a great time site-seeing, but we're pretty ready to get into our schools. We feel a bit out of the loop since most people meet friends (Korean and Western) in the schools. We have a couple more days of relaxing and traveling, and then we'll finally be teaching.
Kat had shown us this great, tiny Mexican restaurant in the area called Taco Señora.
We decided we were in the mood for some burritos, so we checked it out. The place is barely big enough for four people to sit at a counter while this adorable Korean woman makes your burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and nachos in front of you. Apparently her story is that she has a friend from Mexico who taught her about Mexican food, so she opened a restaurant in Busan. People come from all around for her food, and it's surprisingly wonderful. Chaz and I had chicken burritos, and they were incredible! Who knew you could get such good Mexican food in Korea? In the place, we also met Justin, a graduate of Penn State who is also teaching English in Busan. He's been here about eight months, so he was giving us advice on what to eat, where to visit, etc. It was great to meet a guy from the States as most Westerners here are from Canada (Justin said apparently it's a "right of passage" for them to teach in Korea).
After burritos, it was time to hit the beach. It is still so incredible to me that we can just go to the beach whenever we want to (in season, of course). I've never been able to do this in my life, being from Iowa, and I'm excited that I now have this opportunity. It was great to just soak in the sun and the sand and take a dip in the sea (also, I've never been in salt water before....crazy, I know).
Busan just keeps getting more and more wonderful, and I know we have so much more to see in the city. We've had a great time site-seeing, but we're pretty ready to get into our schools. We feel a bit out of the loop since most people meet friends (Korean and Western) in the schools. We have a couple more days of relaxing and traveling, and then we'll finally be teaching.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
There's so much to see in the city
One thing that will definitely take some getting used to is the trek to and from our apartment. Our building is a good thirty minute walk from the nearest subway stop. This means that Chaz has to walk it every day as he will need to take the subway to commute to school. I'll also most likely have the trek as my school is a thirty minute walk away (in what direction? no idea...yet). Now, this thirty minute walk is no ordinary walk. Thirty minutes. That's nothing, right?
Wrong.
Walking to the subway stop is no big deal because it's all downhill. Unfortunately, that means the walk back to our apartment is all uphill. And I'm talking no ordinary hill. I'm talking halfway up a mountain. We are the last set of apartment buildings before there is no more development on the mountain. On the upside, we have a gorgeous view, but the walk is proving difficult to get used to. We always return home exhausted and sweating as a result of our trek. We could maybe find a bus to take us up the hill, but we are far too intimidated to try the all-Korean bus-system. At least the subway has stops in English.
Besides the awful trek up our mountain, the subway is incredibly wonderful for getting around the city. Today, Kat took us to Centum City and the Shinsegae Department Store, the 2009 Guiness World Record for largest store in the world. And it was huge. 10 floors (including a basement food court) full of brand-name boutiques selling everything from clothes and shoes to computers and stationary. We found an Apple store (amaaazing! Called A# Shop).
But probably my favorite was the stationary store. Kat said we could find stationary stores that sell cheaper items, but we did splurge on a few cute things. I wanted to buy just about everything! I'm definitely going back for more.
In the stationary area, we also found a friend!
It's Totoro! I remember watching this Japanese movie as a kid starring Totoro, a magical creature who befriends some children. So wonderful!
Then, on the rooftop of the department store, there's a garden/grassy area with a phenomenal view of the city and coastline.
After that, it was the ride on the subway (where we met Drew, a guy from England who is teaching in a new school in Busan) and then the tiring trek up our mountain.
Wrong.
Walking to the subway stop is no big deal because it's all downhill. Unfortunately, that means the walk back to our apartment is all uphill. And I'm talking no ordinary hill. I'm talking halfway up a mountain. We are the last set of apartment buildings before there is no more development on the mountain. On the upside, we have a gorgeous view, but the walk is proving difficult to get used to. We always return home exhausted and sweating as a result of our trek. We could maybe find a bus to take us up the hill, but we are far too intimidated to try the all-Korean bus-system. At least the subway has stops in English.
Besides the awful trek up our mountain, the subway is incredibly wonderful for getting around the city. Today, Kat took us to Centum City and the Shinsegae Department Store, the 2009 Guiness World Record for largest store in the world. And it was huge. 10 floors (including a basement food court) full of brand-name boutiques selling everything from clothes and shoes to computers and stationary. We found an Apple store (amaaazing! Called A# Shop).
But probably my favorite was the stationary store. Kat said we could find stationary stores that sell cheaper items, but we did splurge on a few cute things. I wanted to buy just about everything! I'm definitely going back for more.
In the stationary area, we also found a friend!
It's Totoro! I remember watching this Japanese movie as a kid starring Totoro, a magical creature who befriends some children. So wonderful!
Then, on the rooftop of the department store, there's a garden/grassy area with a phenomenal view of the city and coastline.
After that, it was the ride on the subway (where we met Drew, a guy from England who is teaching in a new school in Busan) and then the tiring trek up our mountain.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Beachin' Times
Sooo....we spent most of today cleaning our apartment. I knew I couldn't be happy until we cleaned our filthy apartment apparently previously inhabited by a very filthy person. So finally, we have a clean place, and it looks so much better. Still moldy, but we'll take care of that later.
After a day of cleaning, we left our apartment to meet Kat (hooray hooray hooray) at Haeundae Beach. Our first big outing. For those of you who may not know, Kat is my long-lost (for 10 1/2 months) friend from Iowa State who has been teaching in a nearby city (Ulsan). On our way, we snapped this great pic near our apartment of the center of the city at night.
After a 30 minute walk to the subway, and a 30 minute subway ride, we made it to the beach and found Kat. Assa! Right away we checked out the beach which was gorgeous at night. Kat said it just revealed the vibe of the city, and she was right. It was wonderful and energetic and calming all at the same time.
Chaz even stopped to get a picture with a local beach-goer.
(Yes, that man is wearing a thong. He throws a frisbee and poses. In a thong.)
Then, on to the main event: FOOD! Kat helped us get some amaaaaazing Korean food, and I am absolutely in love! We had samguypsal which is pork, and you fry it on a grill at your table along with kimchi, and garlic cloves. Then you pile it on a lettuce leaf, add a radish and some more kimchi, wrap and eat. Delicious!
Fortunately, we had Kat, the Korean pro with us, so she knew what was up! We ended the meal with rice (bop) and dwen jon jighe (bean soup). All very very very delicious! We ended up missing the last subway, so we had to grab a taxi, and we had a very friendly cab driver. Kat, being the pro, was able to communicate quite a bit to the guy, and he kept laughing, probably cause he thought it was fun that an American knew Korean. Then, a 30 minute walk halfway up a mountain later, we got back to our apartment. First great Korean adventure: check!
After a day of cleaning, we left our apartment to meet Kat (hooray hooray hooray) at Haeundae Beach. Our first big outing. For those of you who may not know, Kat is my long-lost (for 10 1/2 months) friend from Iowa State who has been teaching in a nearby city (Ulsan). On our way, we snapped this great pic near our apartment of the center of the city at night.
After a 30 minute walk to the subway, and a 30 minute subway ride, we made it to the beach and found Kat. Assa! Right away we checked out the beach which was gorgeous at night. Kat said it just revealed the vibe of the city, and she was right. It was wonderful and energetic and calming all at the same time.
Chaz even stopped to get a picture with a local beach-goer.
(Yes, that man is wearing a thong. He throws a frisbee and poses. In a thong.)
Then, on to the main event: FOOD! Kat helped us get some amaaaaazing Korean food, and I am absolutely in love! We had samguypsal which is pork, and you fry it on a grill at your table along with kimchi, and garlic cloves. Then you pile it on a lettuce leaf, add a radish and some more kimchi, wrap and eat. Delicious!
Fortunately, we had Kat, the Korean pro with us, so she knew what was up! We ended the meal with rice (bop) and dwen jon jighe (bean soup). All very very very delicious! We ended up missing the last subway, so we had to grab a taxi, and we had a very friendly cab driver. Kat, being the pro, was able to communicate quite a bit to the guy, and he kept laughing, probably cause he thought it was fun that an American knew Korean. Then, a 30 minute walk halfway up a mountain later, we got back to our apartment. First great Korean adventure: check!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Day One
Well, we made it through day one. On the advice of others (and our own general curiosity), Chaz and I decided to embark from our apartment and see if we could find our way through the winding streets of this vast city among hilltops.
We started off with no idea in what direction to go and no idea what our destination was. We made our general way toward (what we thought) was the center of the city. We stayed on a straight course so as not to lose our way, but that was really inevitable. Here's what we were up against:
And that's only a small portion of the city. So we began to wander, and wander, and wander. And wander. And did I mention we walked a lot? We figured the best way to figure out the city and our surroundings is to walk, so we did. We were pretty lost for awhile, but we knew we just had to follow the road back to our apartment, so we weren't worried. Finally, we saw a sign that we also saw on our map. YES! So we followed it, and we found: THE CENTER OF THE CITY. Awesome. So we checked out an underground shopping mall, and then finally got something to eat at a mall food court. So our first meal in Korea was actually a mixture of Mongolian/Chinese/Korean. Ah, well, it was good and cheap.
Yes, all of that for just over $5 US. Then, we decided it was time to head back to our apartment building. We tried following the map, but we just couldn't seem to get the way we wanted to go. Finally, we realized we were much farther north than we thought we were. Finally on track, we followed the subway line which we thought would take us near our apartments. Finally, I got one right, and we could see our apartments on the hill. Success!! We also found a supermarket somewhere near our place and were able to get groceries. Seven hours after we started out walking, we finally made it back home.
*Quick Sidenote: Chaz is watching television, and there's this Paris Hilton reality show on. She just kicked someone off the show, and was all emotional about it. Guess what the concept is? Find Paris a BRITISH best friend. Cause everyone needs that, right? A best friend in every country? Oh my.*
*sigh* Okay. So that was our adventure today, and it was tiring and great. Full of failure and absolute success. Now that we've walked, we're ready to take the subway. That'll be sooo much nicer. We're ready for more adventures tomorrow, and for Kat to come and show us more of the ropes!!!
We started off with no idea in what direction to go and no idea what our destination was. We made our general way toward (what we thought) was the center of the city. We stayed on a straight course so as not to lose our way, but that was really inevitable. Here's what we were up against:
And that's only a small portion of the city. So we began to wander, and wander, and wander. And wander. And did I mention we walked a lot? We figured the best way to figure out the city and our surroundings is to walk, so we did. We were pretty lost for awhile, but we knew we just had to follow the road back to our apartment, so we weren't worried. Finally, we saw a sign that we also saw on our map. YES! So we followed it, and we found: THE CENTER OF THE CITY. Awesome. So we checked out an underground shopping mall, and then finally got something to eat at a mall food court. So our first meal in Korea was actually a mixture of Mongolian/Chinese/Korean. Ah, well, it was good and cheap.
Yes, all of that for just over $5 US. Then, we decided it was time to head back to our apartment building. We tried following the map, but we just couldn't seem to get the way we wanted to go. Finally, we realized we were much farther north than we thought we were. Finally on track, we followed the subway line which we thought would take us near our apartments. Finally, I got one right, and we could see our apartments on the hill. Success!! We also found a supermarket somewhere near our place and were able to get groceries. Seven hours after we started out walking, we finally made it back home.
*Quick Sidenote: Chaz is watching television, and there's this Paris Hilton reality show on. She just kicked someone off the show, and was all emotional about it. Guess what the concept is? Find Paris a BRITISH best friend. Cause everyone needs that, right? A best friend in every country? Oh my.*
*sigh* Okay. So that was our adventure today, and it was tiring and great. Full of failure and absolute success. Now that we've walked, we're ready to take the subway. That'll be sooo much nicer. We're ready for more adventures tomorrow, and for Kat to come and show us more of the ropes!!!
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
And the Adventure Begins...
Well, we've made it to Korea.
After an exchange in Chicago, we took our 13 hour flight from Chicago to Seoul. Usually, I cannot sleep or eat on planes, but two sleeping pills later, I was doing just fine. I slept for most of the way with a break for a few meals, and to watch "The Proposal." Upon arriving in Seoul, we had to transfer to a different airport. Welcome to Korea, find your way to another airport. So we made our way to an airport train station, and found a line to go to Gimpo Airport, but then we weren't sure how to get tickets. Luckily, an incredibly nice man helped us get our tickets, helped us with our luggage through the gate and down to where our train would come. Turns out, when the guy was in elementary school, he had a pen pal from Iowa. Awesome! Then, when we arrived at the Gimpo station, we looked lost once again, and another man approached us to offer assistant.
"Do we look lost?"
"Yes," he replied.
Ah, well. There's always a learning curve. I expect to look lost for quite some time. After an hour flight from Seoul to Busan, we arrived in the city which is to be our home for one year. We met a young woman who works at my school, and she helped us exchange money and rode in a taxi with us to our apartment. Turns out, we're apparently working in poor schools where the students don't know English very well. I'm hoping she was only exaggerating how poor their skills are. Eek! It will definitely be a challenge. Also, she's afraid I'll feel lonely at the school since I'll be the only foreign teacher and the other teachers are shy to speak English. Good news. I'm hoping to find some way of making them feel at ease when talking to me—maybe try a bit of Korean. Who knows?
Then, at our apartment, she left us with our keys and seven days in which we can explore the city (we can't go into the schools for seven days to be sure we don't have H1N1—it'll be nice to figure out our surroundings). When we opened our door, we found our apartment. In the night and loneliness of arriving to another country, we were pretty upset and both cried a bit in the solitude and the filth that was our apartment. Apparently, the last foreigner to live here did not clean, and our school also did not check to make sure it was clean. Here's our place:
Our entryway
View from entryway
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
Living Area
Our Neighbors.
That's right....we have mold. Definitely need to remedy that.
An excerpt from my journal last night, "As of now, Chaz and I are discouraged and apprehensive...It just feels so lonely. Hopefully, things look a little brighter in the light of day."
And they did. Today we are feeling much better about things, and we like our apartment, it just needs a good cleaning and de-molding. Here's one of the reasons why we like it:
Our View.
We can see a teeeny bit of the mountains. We hope to explore the city, eat some Korean food, and maybe go to Haeundae Beach. How great is it that we have a beach?
After an exchange in Chicago, we took our 13 hour flight from Chicago to Seoul. Usually, I cannot sleep or eat on planes, but two sleeping pills later, I was doing just fine. I slept for most of the way with a break for a few meals, and to watch "The Proposal." Upon arriving in Seoul, we had to transfer to a different airport. Welcome to Korea, find your way to another airport. So we made our way to an airport train station, and found a line to go to Gimpo Airport, but then we weren't sure how to get tickets. Luckily, an incredibly nice man helped us get our tickets, helped us with our luggage through the gate and down to where our train would come. Turns out, when the guy was in elementary school, he had a pen pal from Iowa. Awesome! Then, when we arrived at the Gimpo station, we looked lost once again, and another man approached us to offer assistant.
"Do we look lost?"
"Yes," he replied.
Ah, well. There's always a learning curve. I expect to look lost for quite some time. After an hour flight from Seoul to Busan, we arrived in the city which is to be our home for one year. We met a young woman who works at my school, and she helped us exchange money and rode in a taxi with us to our apartment. Turns out, we're apparently working in poor schools where the students don't know English very well. I'm hoping she was only exaggerating how poor their skills are. Eek! It will definitely be a challenge. Also, she's afraid I'll feel lonely at the school since I'll be the only foreign teacher and the other teachers are shy to speak English. Good news. I'm hoping to find some way of making them feel at ease when talking to me—maybe try a bit of Korean. Who knows?
Then, at our apartment, she left us with our keys and seven days in which we can explore the city (we can't go into the schools for seven days to be sure we don't have H1N1—it'll be nice to figure out our surroundings). When we opened our door, we found our apartment. In the night and loneliness of arriving to another country, we were pretty upset and both cried a bit in the solitude and the filth that was our apartment. Apparently, the last foreigner to live here did not clean, and our school also did not check to make sure it was clean. Here's our place:
Our entryway
View from entryway
Kitchen
Bathroom
Bedroom
Living Area
Our Neighbors.
That's right....we have mold. Definitely need to remedy that.
An excerpt from my journal last night, "As of now, Chaz and I are discouraged and apprehensive...It just feels so lonely. Hopefully, things look a little brighter in the light of day."
And they did. Today we are feeling much better about things, and we like our apartment, it just needs a good cleaning and de-molding. Here's one of the reasons why we like it:
Our View.
We can see a teeeny bit of the mountains. We hope to explore the city, eat some Korean food, and maybe go to Haeundae Beach. How great is it that we have a beach?
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Goodbye Tour
I apologize for no new updates recently. We've been busy with preparations for leaving, and every time I sit down to write, something comes up for me to do, or I remember something that needs doing right that moment. So FINALLY I'm updating.
The past couple of weeks have been filled with what I call our "Goodbye Tour." Probably the most difficult part of our leaving. Every person we say goodbye to seems to be more difficult than the last. Goodbyes have always been especially difficult for me, but I've never been away from everyone for more than a month, so a year seems especially daunting. Everyone tells me, "A year is so short." And, "It'll go by so fast." Which I know is party true. But a year is a year. And that is a significant part of my life. Thinking of a year without seeing my family and friends brings tears and fear.
On the other hand, I'm incredibly excited for the adventure on which we're about to embark. This will for sure be our biggest married adventure yet. But back to the goodbyes.
Our Goodbye Tour has taken us from Ames to Minneapolis to La Porte City to Ottawa to Delmar. Goodbyes have been said to friends and grandmas, aunts and uncles, siblings and nieces with many tears and much bawling (on my part). Saying goodbye to the nieces, my bros, and the grandmas has been especially difficult. So much happens in a year, and I know I'm going to miss a lot of important events back home. Right now, as we're preparing to leave, my focus has been on what I will miss. Once I get to Korea, I know I'll switch my focus to what we'll experience and the many adventures we have at hand (so don't worry...I'll be okay).
But for right now, I'll say my goodbyes and cry my tears. And next? We fly out of Cedar Rapids tomorrow to begin our adventures.
The past couple of weeks have been filled with what I call our "Goodbye Tour." Probably the most difficult part of our leaving. Every person we say goodbye to seems to be more difficult than the last. Goodbyes have always been especially difficult for me, but I've never been away from everyone for more than a month, so a year seems especially daunting. Everyone tells me, "A year is so short." And, "It'll go by so fast." Which I know is party true. But a year is a year. And that is a significant part of my life. Thinking of a year without seeing my family and friends brings tears and fear.
On the other hand, I'm incredibly excited for the adventure on which we're about to embark. This will for sure be our biggest married adventure yet. But back to the goodbyes.
Our Goodbye Tour has taken us from Ames to Minneapolis to La Porte City to Ottawa to Delmar. Goodbyes have been said to friends and grandmas, aunts and uncles, siblings and nieces with many tears and much bawling (on my part). Saying goodbye to the nieces, my bros, and the grandmas has been especially difficult. So much happens in a year, and I know I'm going to miss a lot of important events back home. Right now, as we're preparing to leave, my focus has been on what I will miss. Once I get to Korea, I know I'll switch my focus to what we'll experience and the many adventures we have at hand (so don't worry...I'll be okay).
But for right now, I'll say my goodbyes and cry my tears. And next? We fly out of Cedar Rapids tomorrow to begin our adventures.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
NEWS.....finally
We got word today on our status for going to South Korea. This was so welcome after waiting for weeks and hearing skepticism every time we said we hoped to be gone by mid-September. "Oh, and what job do you have?" "Well.....we don't really have one yet...."
Well guess what, people?
WE HAVE JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the moment we've been waiting months for has arrived. It's hard to believe I can now say that I have a teaching job. And so does Chaz. We got the call today that both of us got public school positions in Busan (the jobs we wanted in the city we wanted). Pure goodness. They want us by September 1 (so soon!), but I feel they may be a bit optimistic about that. Basically, whenever we get our visas, we're gone. This means we have two weeks to get our goodbyes in, finish business in the states, get plane tickets, and move overseas. Eek!
Thanks for prayers & support through this process! We've felt very taken care of throughout the ordeal. Now the difficult part...saying goodbye and adjusting to new life....is coming.
Well guess what, people?
WE HAVE JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the moment we've been waiting months for has arrived. It's hard to believe I can now say that I have a teaching job. And so does Chaz. We got the call today that both of us got public school positions in Busan (the jobs we wanted in the city we wanted). Pure goodness. They want us by September 1 (so soon!), but I feel they may be a bit optimistic about that. Basically, whenever we get our visas, we're gone. This means we have two weeks to get our goodbyes in, finish business in the states, get plane tickets, and move overseas. Eek!
Thanks for prayers & support through this process! We've felt very taken care of throughout the ordeal. Now the difficult part...saying goodbye and adjusting to new life....is coming.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
An Ode to Wal-Mart Workers
Everyone enjoys a quick shopping trip, right?
I mean, the ones where you know exactly what you need to get. There's no need for large decisions, wandering down aisles, and circling the store five times just hoping you see something you need. You go in, you get what you need, you check out, and you're done. Beautiful organization. In these shopping trips, it's of utmost importance that you remain anonymous in the checkout line. Your efficient trip comes to a quick end as you have your neat pile of necessities on the line, you pay, you grab your bag, and you're out of there.
Tonight, we were to have one of those trips.
Chaz and I were with my mom helping her get her classroom ready for the school year. We had to stop at Wal-Mart to get some items Mom needed for her room, we listed them as we walked in, and we planned on getting in there and getting out as I wanted to catch at least half of Design Star on HGTV tonight.
The beginning of the trip went smoothly. We grabbed everything we needed with graceful speed and precision. There was some slight indecision at one point, but that was quickly remedied, and we made for the checkout counter assured we'd be back in time for the show.
Going through the checkout line, Mom chatted a bit with the cashier (she was a past student). We paid, and were prepared to grab our sacks while Chaz was preparing to buy some Naked juice he was getting for Mom. In her friendly chatting, Mom says, "Stacy, this is my daughter Kate, and this is her husband, Chaz."
At this point, disaster hits our optimistic party. You know the keyboard sitting above the scanner that's on a pedestal at the cashier's station? Well, Chaz cries, "Oh shoot!" as his debit card slips from his hand (resting on the pedestal) into a crack and slides down the pedestal above the scanner.
I kid you not. Only Chaz could do this.
Immediately, Mom, the cashier, and I all laugh hysterically. The cashier says, "Don't worry, there's a chute that comes out down here!" She pulls a trashcan out from under the scanner, looks in it, crawls under the counter, looks all under it, and comes out unsuccessful. Chaz then asks, "Can I look?" And then he looks to no avail. Meanwhile, I peered into the crack that the debit card fell in, and I could see it propped up against the side of the chute, close to, but not quite down the hole that would have gotten us out of this mess quickly. The cashier grabbed a Swiffer duster, and then a ruler to try to get to the debit card, but neither of those worked. At this point, you can imagine we were attracting quite a bit of attention from other cashiers as well as customers.
Finally, one of the Wal-Mart associates contacted Doug, our savior. Doug came over and assured Chaz, "Don't worry, you're not the first person who's done this." To which Chaz responded, "Yeah, right!" Doug stripped out the scanner, grabbed a plastic hanger, pushed the debit card into the hole, and then emerged from underneath the scanner with debit card in hand. Immediately, we cheered and clapped and shouted, "Yay Doug!!!" At which Doug became bright red and scooted back to the employee room. Chaz was sure to remind all within hearing distance that it was Jane Schmidt's, local teacher, son-in-law who had done this. At which Mom became bright red and scooted us all out of the store.
After fifteen minutes, five Wal-Mart associates, and major surgery on the scanner, Chaz was able to use his debit card to pay his $2.73.
I mean, the ones where you know exactly what you need to get. There's no need for large decisions, wandering down aisles, and circling the store five times just hoping you see something you need. You go in, you get what you need, you check out, and you're done. Beautiful organization. In these shopping trips, it's of utmost importance that you remain anonymous in the checkout line. Your efficient trip comes to a quick end as you have your neat pile of necessities on the line, you pay, you grab your bag, and you're out of there.
Tonight, we were to have one of those trips.
Chaz and I were with my mom helping her get her classroom ready for the school year. We had to stop at Wal-Mart to get some items Mom needed for her room, we listed them as we walked in, and we planned on getting in there and getting out as I wanted to catch at least half of Design Star on HGTV tonight.
The beginning of the trip went smoothly. We grabbed everything we needed with graceful speed and precision. There was some slight indecision at one point, but that was quickly remedied, and we made for the checkout counter assured we'd be back in time for the show.
Going through the checkout line, Mom chatted a bit with the cashier (she was a past student). We paid, and were prepared to grab our sacks while Chaz was preparing to buy some Naked juice he was getting for Mom. In her friendly chatting, Mom says, "Stacy, this is my daughter Kate, and this is her husband, Chaz."
At this point, disaster hits our optimistic party. You know the keyboard sitting above the scanner that's on a pedestal at the cashier's station? Well, Chaz cries, "Oh shoot!" as his debit card slips from his hand (resting on the pedestal) into a crack and slides down the pedestal above the scanner.
I kid you not. Only Chaz could do this.
Immediately, Mom, the cashier, and I all laugh hysterically. The cashier says, "Don't worry, there's a chute that comes out down here!" She pulls a trashcan out from under the scanner, looks in it, crawls under the counter, looks all under it, and comes out unsuccessful. Chaz then asks, "Can I look?" And then he looks to no avail. Meanwhile, I peered into the crack that the debit card fell in, and I could see it propped up against the side of the chute, close to, but not quite down the hole that would have gotten us out of this mess quickly. The cashier grabbed a Swiffer duster, and then a ruler to try to get to the debit card, but neither of those worked. At this point, you can imagine we were attracting quite a bit of attention from other cashiers as well as customers.
Finally, one of the Wal-Mart associates contacted Doug, our savior. Doug came over and assured Chaz, "Don't worry, you're not the first person who's done this." To which Chaz responded, "Yeah, right!" Doug stripped out the scanner, grabbed a plastic hanger, pushed the debit card into the hole, and then emerged from underneath the scanner with debit card in hand. Immediately, we cheered and clapped and shouted, "Yay Doug!!!" At which Doug became bright red and scooted back to the employee room. Chaz was sure to remind all within hearing distance that it was Jane Schmidt's, local teacher, son-in-law who had done this. At which Mom became bright red and scooted us all out of the store.
After fifteen minutes, five Wal-Mart associates, and major surgery on the scanner, Chaz was able to use his debit card to pay his $2.73.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Things that make you go, "Awwwww....."
Okay, okay, once again, I'm a bit obsessed. But I just love their interactions with each other!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Still Waiting...
Well, I figured I'd update on our South Korea process. I've been waiting to do this because I've been hoping we'd have news soon, but it seems as if we're doomed to wait until the last possible moment to find out where we're going, when we're going, and if we even have a job.
Some of you already know that Chaz and I wanted to teach in the public school, but then we were told there were no positions until March. Plans then changed to teach in the private schools; our second option, but still very exciting. Last Thursday we got an email (and a phone call) informing us that six PUBLIC school positions opened in Busan, South Korea: THE CITY WE WANTED TO GO TO. We were excited, so we applied right away. They sent off our applications to South Korea and told us we'd probably find out in a week about the positions as they wanted us to start September 1st.
That was one week ago.
Today we got an email saying that the woman in charge of hiring for public schools in Busan is incredibly busy and hasn't chosen who they want to hire yet. So now we must wait another week to hear about job offers. The good news is that this most likely means we won't be gone by Sept 1, so we have a little more time to say goodbye/visit/get stuff done before we leave the country for a year. The bad news is that if we don't get the jobs, that's one less week we have to find jobs if we want to be gone by mid-September. Ugh. I'm sick of this waiting and having to smile, laugh nervously, and say to people, "Well, we don't technically have jobs yet....we're still waiting on news...but the PLAN is to go to South Korea..." Gross. I just wish we had things a little more nailed down, but I guess this is why it's good Chaz and I are pretty flexible.
We've been taken care of thus far in this process (I mean, the jobs we wanted opened at the last minute...that's pretty sweet), so I guess we'll probably continue to be watched over. And that, at least, is comforting.
Some of you already know that Chaz and I wanted to teach in the public school, but then we were told there were no positions until March. Plans then changed to teach in the private schools; our second option, but still very exciting. Last Thursday we got an email (and a phone call) informing us that six PUBLIC school positions opened in Busan, South Korea: THE CITY WE WANTED TO GO TO. We were excited, so we applied right away. They sent off our applications to South Korea and told us we'd probably find out in a week about the positions as they wanted us to start September 1st.
That was one week ago.
Today we got an email saying that the woman in charge of hiring for public schools in Busan is incredibly busy and hasn't chosen who they want to hire yet. So now we must wait another week to hear about job offers. The good news is that this most likely means we won't be gone by Sept 1, so we have a little more time to say goodbye/visit/get stuff done before we leave the country for a year. The bad news is that if we don't get the jobs, that's one less week we have to find jobs if we want to be gone by mid-September. Ugh. I'm sick of this waiting and having to smile, laugh nervously, and say to people, "Well, we don't technically have jobs yet....we're still waiting on news...but the PLAN is to go to South Korea..." Gross. I just wish we had things a little more nailed down, but I guess this is why it's good Chaz and I are pretty flexible.
We've been taken care of thus far in this process (I mean, the jobs we wanted opened at the last minute...that's pretty sweet), so I guess we'll probably continue to be watched over. And that, at least, is comforting.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
I've been meaning to write this...
I've been meaning to write about my birthday last Friday, and unfortunately, I just haven't yet. So here goes:
Last Friday I celebrated my birthday. Some of you may know that inevitably, something bad happens on my birthday. This means I rarely have a fun birthday. For example: last year we spent my entire birthday moving and cleaning our old apartment. The end. That was it.
So Chaz tried to make sure that this year it would be a good one.
We moved out early that week so we wouldn't have to worry about that on the 31st (move-out day in Ames, my birthday). Chaz even made plans to go to Minneapolis to stay with friends and go dancing/have a great time. I was pretty excited because it promised to be a great day.
And then my birthday struck.
The night before my birthday, we got a call from our friends that their plans had changed and they had to go on family vacation.
dun. dun. duuuuun.
Kate's birthday strikes again!
The next morning, we got ready for the day, and Chaz gave me my present (gray Toms!). I started the day with breakfast with Renee, then we had lunch at Stomping Grounds with my cooperative teacher's family, and followed that with hang time at Steve & Kim's place (okay, I played Sims for a few hours). It was already a full, good day. But it didn't end there. Steven's parents were in town, so they treated us for supper at El Azteca, where I got sung to even though I didn't want it. Yes, I had to wear a huge, goofy sombrero, and brace myself as they pounded on the hat (seriously...they hit hard!).
I got fried ice cream out of the deal. Then we trekked to Snuss Hill Winery in Cambridge for about 30 minutes of music and socializing. We ended the night with some serious Wii-playing at Steve & Kim's place.
I definitely slept well that night because the curse of my birthday had been lifted. :)
Last Friday I celebrated my birthday. Some of you may know that inevitably, something bad happens on my birthday. This means I rarely have a fun birthday. For example: last year we spent my entire birthday moving and cleaning our old apartment. The end. That was it.
So Chaz tried to make sure that this year it would be a good one.
We moved out early that week so we wouldn't have to worry about that on the 31st (move-out day in Ames, my birthday). Chaz even made plans to go to Minneapolis to stay with friends and go dancing/have a great time. I was pretty excited because it promised to be a great day.
And then my birthday struck.
The night before my birthday, we got a call from our friends that their plans had changed and they had to go on family vacation.
dun. dun. duuuuun.
Kate's birthday strikes again!
The next morning, we got ready for the day, and Chaz gave me my present (gray Toms!). I started the day with breakfast with Renee, then we had lunch at Stomping Grounds with my cooperative teacher's family, and followed that with hang time at Steve & Kim's place (okay, I played Sims for a few hours). It was already a full, good day. But it didn't end there. Steven's parents were in town, so they treated us for supper at El Azteca, where I got sung to even though I didn't want it. Yes, I had to wear a huge, goofy sombrero, and brace myself as they pounded on the hat (seriously...they hit hard!).
I got fried ice cream out of the deal. Then we trekked to Snuss Hill Winery in Cambridge for about 30 minutes of music and socializing. We ended the night with some serious Wii-playing at Steve & Kim's place.
I definitely slept well that night because the curse of my birthday had been lifted. :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Moving out and moving on
After a week of barbeque, Chaz's family, the adorable nieces, and Tinkerbell parties & rooms, we got back to Ames on Monday morning only to have to pack up and move out. That's right, the next phase of our life is beginning. It's hard to believe we're leaving Ames, especially when I've been here for five years. This begins our transition to South Korea (or hopefully). Oh yes, another piece of news (which I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of you have heard). Chaz and I plan to move to South Korea to teach English. Exciting, scary, and wonderful all at once. For this next month we will live nomadically traveling from my parents' home to Ames to Minneapolis to live with friends and family and be able to say goodbye before we leave for one year. Here's the breakdown of our transition:
Last week we spent an entire week at my sister-in-law's place. It was an excellent week spent with the nieces, the sissy, and Chaz's mom & stepdad who we haven't seen in a year. The nieces had their huge 2nd birthday party with Tinkerbell decorations, cake, Ricky's ribs from Memphis, and an inflatable jumpy castle. We also helped decorate the girls' new room, and it looks just adorable.
We got back to Ames on Monday, and my parents came yesterday to help us move out. 7 hours later, the cattle trailer was full of our junk and on it's way back to Eastern IA.
Today we still have to clean the place, and get rid of some stuff we don't want.
Tomorrow we're heading to Minneapolis to visit Adam & Kara (hooray!) and celebrate my birthday.
After that, as I said, it's home to my parents house (I never thought I'd be in that position again), and then going between there, Ames, and Minneapolis. I'll continue to update as our transition goes on!
Last week we spent an entire week at my sister-in-law's place. It was an excellent week spent with the nieces, the sissy, and Chaz's mom & stepdad who we haven't seen in a year. The nieces had their huge 2nd birthday party with Tinkerbell decorations, cake, Ricky's ribs from Memphis, and an inflatable jumpy castle. We also helped decorate the girls' new room, and it looks just adorable.
We got back to Ames on Monday, and my parents came yesterday to help us move out. 7 hours later, the cattle trailer was full of our junk and on it's way back to Eastern IA.
Today we still have to clean the place, and get rid of some stuff we don't want.
Tomorrow we're heading to Minneapolis to visit Adam & Kara (hooray!) and celebrate my birthday.
After that, as I said, it's home to my parents house (I never thought I'd be in that position again), and then going between there, Ames, and Minneapolis. I'll continue to update as our transition goes on!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Another cute video...(at least to me)
Last week Chaz, April, Grandma Betty, Loréal, the twins, and I took a roadtrip to Omaha filled with Papa Chuck, zoo animals, pizza, swimming, and driving. It was a good time, and of course, I got excellent video of the twins. I wanted to share my favorite Livi video from the weekend.
As you recall, Livi has had a trach for awhile, and she hasn't really been able to talk until recently. She's figured out that if she plugs her trach, she can talk. So now she talks like crazy. Mostly it's "Dada, dada, dada, dada," etc. The girls also have been taught a bit of baby sign language (mostly the word "more"), so they're able to do a bit of communicating via that. Good news is: Livi gets her trach out next week! The doctors said she'd be ready for them to take it out, and the surgery is scheduled for the 14th. Hooray! This is just in time for a visit from Mama Penny and Black Daddy, as well as in time for the exciting two-year birthday bash.
Enjoy our conversation with Livi about her bath time and eating:
I love aunt-hood!
As you recall, Livi has had a trach for awhile, and she hasn't really been able to talk until recently. She's figured out that if she plugs her trach, she can talk. So now she talks like crazy. Mostly it's "Dada, dada, dada, dada," etc. The girls also have been taught a bit of baby sign language (mostly the word "more"), so they're able to do a bit of communicating via that. Good news is: Livi gets her trach out next week! The doctors said she'd be ready for them to take it out, and the surgery is scheduled for the 14th. Hooray! This is just in time for a visit from Mama Penny and Black Daddy, as well as in time for the exciting two-year birthday bash.
Enjoy our conversation with Livi about her bath time and eating:
I love aunt-hood!
Monday, July 06, 2009
Summer Sickness
What's probably the worst thing to have happen in the summer?
You get sick.
What happens to me EVERY SUMMER?
I get sick.
Seriously, though. I rarely get sick during the winter, but without fail, every summer a bomb goes off and I'm laying in bed with aches and chills and a raging fever with the sun shining and the birds chirping outside and about a million wonderful, beautiful things to do beckoning me. Thursday and Friday I was completely out of commission: no eating, no moving, just laying on the couch watching Create and checking my temperature every hour. Chaz took good care of me, but it just so happens that as I get sick, my wonderful husband decides he's going to become a social butterfly. He's out on the town with friends, and I'm eating crackers and drinking 7up to Baking with Julia Child. I digress...I'm still recovering from the illness, but I'm definitely on the upswing.
Saturday I was able to make it to Rachel's wedding in Eastern IA. I had intended on just going to the wedding (since it would be the first time I moved since Thursday morning), but I was enjoying myself so much that I decided to go ahead and also attend the reception. While I was at it, why the heck not eat a full meal and then dance myself silly? I may have overdone it just a teensy bit, but come on, how often do I do that? heh, heh. The wedding was beautiful, and the celebration was awesome! Great times with old friends that I tend to forget how much they mean to me.
Tonight I'm just feeling glorious. Stim & Keven took us out for an AMAZING meal at The Café! We NEVER get to eat the way we did tonight. It was a beautiful time with food that tickled our tastebuds and conversation that kept us laughing.
So now, with belly full, I'm off to gargle salt water (to take care of the sore throat), pop some Vitamin C, and sleep away the rest of this sickness!
You get sick.
What happens to me EVERY SUMMER?
I get sick.
Seriously, though. I rarely get sick during the winter, but without fail, every summer a bomb goes off and I'm laying in bed with aches and chills and a raging fever with the sun shining and the birds chirping outside and about a million wonderful, beautiful things to do beckoning me. Thursday and Friday I was completely out of commission: no eating, no moving, just laying on the couch watching Create and checking my temperature every hour. Chaz took good care of me, but it just so happens that as I get sick, my wonderful husband decides he's going to become a social butterfly. He's out on the town with friends, and I'm eating crackers and drinking 7up to Baking with Julia Child. I digress...I'm still recovering from the illness, but I'm definitely on the upswing.
Saturday I was able to make it to Rachel's wedding in Eastern IA. I had intended on just going to the wedding (since it would be the first time I moved since Thursday morning), but I was enjoying myself so much that I decided to go ahead and also attend the reception. While I was at it, why the heck not eat a full meal and then dance myself silly? I may have overdone it just a teensy bit, but come on, how often do I do that? heh, heh. The wedding was beautiful, and the celebration was awesome! Great times with old friends that I tend to forget how much they mean to me.
Tonight I'm just feeling glorious. Stim & Keven took us out for an AMAZING meal at The Café! We NEVER get to eat the way we did tonight. It was a beautiful time with food that tickled our tastebuds and conversation that kept us laughing.
So now, with belly full, I'm off to gargle salt water (to take care of the sore throat), pop some Vitamin C, and sleep away the rest of this sickness!
Monday, June 29, 2009
One Year
Sunday Chaz and I celebrated one year of marriage. Yup. A lot of you were celebrating with us one year ago in Bellevue, IA. It's been a crazy, up-and-down, topsy-turvy sort of year, and it's been forever, but it's also gone by quickly. To celebrate, we went to Sturgis Falls in CF (yeah, yeah, Kel!), which is where we met three years ago. The day consisted of church, friends, supper with family, salsa dancing, beer, foot washing, and laughter (and, of course, kissing). Now that we're a year older in marriage, we have much to look forward to: continual learning, new adventures, moving, but also getting more comfortable in our lives together.
We are so thankful for:
friends near
friends far away
friends in far away lands
church family
growing family
the love and support we get from all of those
We are so thankful for:
friends near
friends far away
friends in far away lands
church family
growing family
the love and support we get from all of those
Monday, June 22, 2009
Oh, yes, it's summer in Iowa
Yesterday was just about THE perfect summer day you could ask for. Chaz, Kim, Steve, and I decided to fill the hot, humid day with great fun instead of sweating into a pool of flesh in front of the television. We jumped in the car with Sasha, the sassy dachsund, and drove to get Tropical Sno from the local stand. Then, we took it across the street where we paid $5 to hit balls at the batting cages. I haven't done that in so long (not since dad and the boys would drag me outside to play baseball with them). It was glorious, and I actually surprised myself by being able to hit NOT ONLY the slow-pitch softballs, but also *ahem* the 50 mph baseballs. That's right, dad, I could bat with the big boys. Steve showed off his sweet skillz by switch-hitting in both the 50 mph cage AND the 65 mph cage.
After sweet treats and sweaty times, we drove to Peterson Pitts to swim with the mass of other people who had gathered there. It was dirty, cool, and de-LIGHT-ful. Steve lived up to his new nickname, C-Athay (like the comic strip "Cathy"), by complaining about every possible horrific scenario. "It's so dirty, I bet people get diseases." "Oh, no, I sand on my body! How am I ever going to get dry?" etc. etc. His complaining seemed justified, however, after he emerged from the lake (he wore his Chacos to avoid nasty things on the ground) with a hook and sinker wrapped around his sandals.
Then it was back home for grilled meats, tater salad, beer, and wine. And what day isn't complete with buzzed bike riding? Oh, it was glorious! I hope to have more summer days spent like that...
*Shout out to Angela and Joel for tying the knot on Friday! It was wonderful!*
After sweet treats and sweaty times, we drove to Peterson Pitts to swim with the mass of other people who had gathered there. It was dirty, cool, and de-LIGHT-ful. Steve lived up to his new nickname, C-Athay (like the comic strip "Cathy"), by complaining about every possible horrific scenario. "It's so dirty, I bet people get diseases." "Oh, no, I sand on my body! How am I ever going to get dry?" etc. etc. His complaining seemed justified, however, after he emerged from the lake (he wore his Chacos to avoid nasty things on the ground) with a hook and sinker wrapped around his sandals.
Then it was back home for grilled meats, tater salad, beer, and wine. And what day isn't complete with buzzed bike riding? Oh, it was glorious! I hope to have more summer days spent like that...
*Shout out to Angela and Joel for tying the knot on Friday! It was wonderful!*
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Still Searching
Yep....we still don't know where we'll be next year. We've been searching for jobs the past couple of days, and thanks to a few websites provided by friends, we've found a lot to send in applications. However, I constantly have second thoughts about this whole process. Can someone ELSE make this decision besides me? I really need to get the new Threadless Select shirt called "I Overcomplicate Things." That's me.
Chaz and I have weddings to attend the next four weekends. Wedding season is upon us. Not to mention the celebration of our one year anniversary. My how the year has flown. I can't believe that at this time last year I had yet to teach in a real live classroom with real live students and real live assignments and real live grading to do.
Lately I've been puppy-sitting for the most adorable puppy on the face of the planet. His name is Oscar and he's a 12-week-old puggle (that's pug+beagle for those curious). He's provided much companionship during the days, and has made me pine for one of my own. Chaz refuses, however, and I know it's not the smartest decision (since we don't know where we're moving), but minor details, right? I mean, with a face this adorable, how can you resist??
Chaz and I have weddings to attend the next four weekends. Wedding season is upon us. Not to mention the celebration of our one year anniversary. My how the year has flown. I can't believe that at this time last year I had yet to teach in a real live classroom with real live students and real live assignments and real live grading to do.
Lately I've been puppy-sitting for the most adorable puppy on the face of the planet. His name is Oscar and he's a 12-week-old puggle (that's pug+beagle for those curious). He's provided much companionship during the days, and has made me pine for one of my own. Chaz refuses, however, and I know it's not the smartest decision (since we don't know where we're moving), but minor details, right? I mean, with a face this adorable, how can you resist??
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